MOUNT Gambier Hospital is poised to usher in a new era as a potential cutting edge cancer clinical trial centre in a move expected to improve therapy and treatment options for regional patients.
The fledgling project will potentially give patients living with cancer the opportunity to tap into new-age cancer drugs and therapy trials in Mount Gambier, instead of travelling to Adelaide.
Considered a potential breakthrough for cancer treatment in Mount Gambier, the regional hospital will partner with the oncology research team at the Flinders Medical Centre for Innovation in Cancer.
The innovative project comes as the hospital’s chemotherapy unit’s six beds are fully occupied with patients battling cancer and other illnesses.
Country Health SA oncologist and project chief investigator Dr Dagmara Poprawski said the Mount Gambier Hospital would pilot the regional model, which was a major step forward for the health facility.
“We are hoping to pioneer South Australia through this project,” Dr Poprawski told The Border Watch.
She praised the Cancer Council for granting $280,000 – through its Beat Cancer Project – for making the clinical trials a reality for regional patients.
Dr Poprawski – who regularly visits Mount Gambier Hospital – said there were currently no cancer clinical trials offered outside metropolitan Adelaide.
“The benefits to cancer patients participating in clinical trials are well recognised, particularly the ability to increase patient access to a full suite of therapy options, including novel therapies,” Dr Poprawski said at Mount Gambier Hospital yesterday.
“While we are at the very early stages of a four year project, we hope the teleclinical cancer trial model will improve trial participation rates in non-metropolitan areas.
“We are hoping there will be new medications trialled.
Dr Poprawski explained new drugs first had to go through the ethics committee approval process.
She said the hospital would now canvass the best way for patients from the South East to be recruited, treated and to attend follow-up visits virtually from Mount Gambier Hospital directly to metropolitan sites like Flinders Medical Centre.
“A teletrial model will utilise existing services, along with additional resources funded through this application, to establish a regional cancer clinical trial site in the long-term,” the cancer specialist said.
The project team will investigate the use of the teletrial model at Mount Gambier Hospital to evaluate feasibility, impact on patients’ quality of life, cost-effectiveness and to identify issues for future roll-out.
“We are very happy to be piloting the model at Mount Gambier Hospital in partnership with Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer,” Dr Poprawski said.
“We hope that this research may improve access to clinical trials for people who live outside of metropolitan areas.
“Mount Gambier Hospital is well-resourced with a visiting medical oncologist, an oncology nurse practitioner, multiple medical specialist services, a large multidisciplinary group of allied health services and is well supported by general practitioners in the region.”
Since it started in 2011, Cancer Council’s Beat Cancer Project has funded more than 200 individual research projects across a range of cancers, including bowel, breast and melanoma.
Country Health SA medical services executive director Dr Hendrika Meyer said the Cancer Council Beat Cancer Project grant would aid future clinical cancer teletrials and was a step in the right direction to improving cancer therapy options for regional patients.
“It is exciting to see our researchers and clinicians from across different areas working together to improve access for regional patients,” Dr Meyer said.
“This will benefit patients by resulting in less travel, less time spent away from family and less financial burden.
“The trials will help us understand more about cancer treatment and what life is like for those people who are forced to live with cancer.”
Cancer Council SA chief executive Lincoln Size said the Beat Cancer Project was at the forefront of research investment in the state and congratulated Country Health SA and Flinders University on receiving the grant.
“We hope the grant will allow us to make great inroads in cancer treatment in regional communities and reduce the financial and emotional burden of a cancer diagnosis for regional South Australians,” Mr Size said.
“We are looking forward to seeing the project develop over the next four years and achieve positive outcomes.”
